Srey’s Solo Queue Tier List & Talent Builds [Updated 12/20/17]
Hanzo Patch
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Srey’s Notes:
This Tier List is ordered from most to least impactful Heroes in Hero League. “Impactful” is defined as how much influence you have over a game’s outcome. The Tier List is most accurate when you are playing solo, and does not take into account either team’s composition, the current map, or Hero bans. This Tier List assumes that you play every Hero with the same level of skill. I generally recommend that you play the Hero that you are most comfortable with and have the most experience on. Choosing the highest tier Hero is not always the right choice. Use this resource at your own discretion.
Changelist
– Tier List completely updated!
– Alexstrasza, Ana, Garrosh, Hanzo, Junkrat, Stukov added
– Updated talent builds for every Hero
– Added “Srey’s Build” for my personal talent builds
Changelist for 12/21/17
– Fixed Johanna, Raynor builds
– Nova -> T1, Garrosh -> T2, Alex ->Lowered in T1 | Will monitor closely.
Solo Queue Tier List
TIER S: Your team has a significant advantage if you have 1 or more of these Heroes. They will likely receive balance changes in the near future. Always pick or ban.
Jaina
TIER 1: Extremely strong Heroes that excel in nearly every aspect and are (almost) always viable.
Greymane, E.T.C., Valla, Malfurion, Diablo, Tracer, Sonya, Stukov, Valeera, Genji, Gul’Dan, Alarak, Thrall, Alexstrasza, Nova, Ragnaros, Dehaka, Sylvanas
TIER 2: Powerful Heroes that can be TIER 1 given the right draft and map.
Brightwing, Arthas, Artanis, Kel’Thuzad, Tyrande, Malthael, Leoric, Cassia, Ana, Nazeebo, Varian(Tank), Lunara, Uther, Chromie, Lt. Morales, Muradin, Azmodan, Anub'arak, Zeratul, Rehgar, Garrosh
TIER 3: Picking these Heroes won’t cause you to lose the game, but there is usually a better option.
Kerrigan, Li-Ming, Lucio, Zul’jin, Illidan, Kael’thas, Johanna, Falstad, Kharazim, Junkrat, Zarya, Stitches, Samuro, Tassadar, Xul, Auriel, Li Li, The Lost Vikings, Tychus, Probius, Tyrael, Zagara, Hanzo
TIER 4: These Heroes are generally underwhelming. They can be successful, but may require very niche team comps or extensive experience to play.
The Butcher, Medivh, Rexxar, D.Va, Chen, Raynor, Murky, Sgt. Hammer, Abathur, Varian(DPS), Cho'Gall, Gazlowe
Legend
Tank – Engages and peels for more vulnerable allies. Usually difficult to kill and has plenty of CC. Disrupt, engage, peel.
Support – Keeps allies alive, generally via healing, shields, and CC.
Melee Assassin / Bruiser – Deal damage via melee. Needed to counter enemy Ranged DPS or take the Support out of the fight. Usually has good engage.
Ranged DPS – Deal significant damage from a distance. Generally has good waveclear.
Niche – Fulfills a very specific and asymmetric role on the team. Only play if you have plenty of experience.
Talent Builds
(First link is standard, second link is alternate. Bracketed talents are optional.)
Abathur - Standard, Carapace Build, Splitting Build
Alarak - Standard (Hasty Bargain)
Alexstrasza - Standard Extra Healing (Life Unbound)
Ana - Standard
Anub'arak - Standard (Underking, Chitinous Plating, any 13)
Artanis - Standard (Purifier Beam, any 20)
Arthas - Standard, Auto Build (Rime, Anti-Magic Shell)
Auriel - Standard, Sweeper Build (any 16)
Azmodan - Standard (Taste for Blood), Laser Build
Brightwing - Standard, (Cleanse, Emerald Wind, Ice Block, Greater Poly)
Cassia - Standard (any 4, Pierce, Any 20)
Chen - Standard
Cho - Standard (Fuel for the Flame, Upheaval)
Chromie - Standard, Srey's Build
Dehaka - Standard (Enhanced Agility, Isolation, Primal Swarm, Apex Predator)
Diablo - Standard
D.Va - Standard (Big Shot, Torpedo Dash)
E.T.C. - Standard (Mosh Pit, any 16, Bolt of the Storm)
Falstad - Standard (Hinterland Blast)
Gall - Standard
Garrosh - Standard (Indomitable, Into the Fray)
Gazlowe - Standard (Clockwerk Steam Fists, Rock-It! Turret XL)
Genji - Standard (Augmented Guard), Dash Build
Greymane - Standard, Auto Build (Go for the Throat, any 13, any 16)
Gul’Dan - Standard, (Health Stone, Demonic Circle)
Illidan - Standard, Metamorphosis Build
Jaina - Srey's Build (Deep Chill)
Johanna - Standard (Hold Your Ground, Imposing, Indistructible)
Junkrat - Standard, Srey's Build
Kael’thas - Standard (Convection, Burned Flesh)
Kel’Thuzad - Standard
Kerrigan - Srey's Build (Siphoning, Clean Kill, Eviscerate), Standard
Kharazim - Standard (Spirit Ally, Palm, any 13, Echo of Heaven)
Leoric - Standard (Kneel Peasants, Hopelessness),
Li Li - Standard (Let’s Go!)
Li-Ming - Standard, Srey's Build (Power Hungry)
Lt. Morales - Standard, Contact-Close Build (Vanadium Plating)
Lucio - Standard (Boombox, Back in the Mix, Bossa Nova)
Lunara - Standard, (Leaping Strike, Giant Killer, Invigorating Spores)
Malfurion - Standard (Lunar Shower, Ice Block, Tenacious Roots)
Malthael - Standard (Black Harvest, any 13, Memeto Mori)
Medivh - Standard (Poly Bomb, Guardian of Tirisfal)
Muradin - Standard (any 1, Skullcracker, Healing Static, any 20)
Murky - Standard (March of the Murlocs)
Nazeebo - Standard (Big Voodoo, any 13, Soul Harvest, Humangoid)
Nova - Standard (Holo Stability, Triple Tap, Rewind)
Probius - Standard (Gather Minerals, any 13)
Ragnaros - Srey's Build (Lava Surge, Lava Wave)
Raynor - Standard (Give Me More!, Relentless Leader)
Rehgar - Standard (Wolf Run, Feral Heart, Bloodlust, Storm Shield)
Rexxar - Standard (Easy Prey, Frenzy of Kalimdor)
Samuro - Standard (Illusion Master, any 16)
Sgt. Hammer - Standard, Srey's Build
Sonya - Standard, Srey's Build (Leap)
Stitches - Standard (Gorge, Indigestion, Hardened Shield)
Stukov - Standard (Targeted Excision, Low Blow, any 16)
Sylvanas - Standard (Any level 13, Any level 16)
Tassadar - Standard, DPS Build (Force Wall)
The Butcher - Standard (Bolt of the Storm)
The Lost Vikings - Standard, (The Sequel!)
Thrall - Standard (Crash Lightning, Earthquake, Alpha Wolf, Earthen Shields)
Tracer - Standard
Tychus - Standard (Quarterback, Neosteel Coating)
Tyrael - Standard (Judgement, Angel of Justice)
Tyrande - Standard (any 4,)
Uther - Standard (Pursuit of Justice, Divine Shield)
Valeera - Standard (Combat Readiness, Cloak of Shadows, Elusiveness)
Valla - Standard, Sustain (Gloom)
Varian (DPS) - Standard (Any level 13 or 16)
Varian (Tank) - Standard (Any level 13 or 16)
Xul - Standard (Mortal Wound)
Zagara - Standard (any 4, Devouring Maw, Protective Coating)
Zarya - Standard (any 4, any 13)
Zeratul - Standard (Wormhole, Void Prison), Cleave Build
Zul’jin - Standard (Guillotine, No Mercy!, any 20)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What makes a Hero high tier?
A: Heroes that I rate highly do extremely well in several of the following categories: map control, objective control, waveclear, burst damage, sustained damage, poke, ganking, survivability, and factor X (unique strength). For example, Kael’thas deals extremely high area of effect damage (sustained and burst), has excellent CC, some of the best waveclear in the game, self heals, can insta-kill an enemy, and is strong at all points in the game. His main weakness is his lack of mobility and fragility.
Q: What does it mean for Hero to be a higher tier?
A: I’ve defined my Tier List as what Heroes I think are most effective at carrying games. A higher rated Hero will be able to carry a game much more easily than a lower rated one. However, this is not always true, there are a lot of factors that go into making a Hero the “right pick” for your team. For example, you may not want to pick Li-Ming versus a team encompassing Zeratul, Tracer, and Illidan, and instead opt to pick Sonya. You should always select a TIER S Hero if they are available though.
Q: Would I ever pick a TIER 2 Hero over a TIER 1 Hero (if both options are available)?
A: Yes. Some Heroes are extremely good on some maps or with or against specific Heroes. For example, Sonya is a much better choice than Thrall on Infernal Shrines if your team has a Tassadar and a Rehgar (making it very difficult for the enemy team to kill Sonya). You should generally pick the Hero that you are more comfortable on as well.
Q: Tank and Support Heroes are generally rated lower than DPS Heroes. Why? Doesn’t my team need a Tank and Support?
A: Your team absolutely needs to have 1 Tank and 1 Support and if you are last pick it is in your best interest to fill one of these roles. That being said, I firmly believe that DPS Heroes have more of an impact on a game than Tanks or Supports at all levels of play.